Nature, sound
and learning
NATUREscapes explores how short nature-sound breaks can support adult learners facing digital fatigue.
Meet the partners
A pause with purpose
Learning increasingly happens on screens. Our project asks how the sounds of nature can make space for attention to recover.
Older learners, rural learners and people with low digital skills are central to this work. We bring educators and learners into research and piloting, so the resources respond to real learning environments.
NATUREscapes: Nature-based soundscapes for adult learning is an Erasmus+ small-scale partnership in adult education (KA210-ADU), co-funded by the European Union. Three partners in Croatia and Slovenia share an 18-month programme supported by a €60,000 grant.
The thinking behind it
Attention restoration
Attention Restoration Theory, developed by Rachel and Stephen Kaplan, describes how natural environments can support recovery from mental fatigue. Gentle natural stimuli may hold attention without the effort required by demanding tasks. We explore this idea through listening in adult education.
Connection with nature
GreenComp, the European sustainability competence framework, connects learning with valuing sustainability, supporting fairness and promoting nature. These values inform our listening exercises and teaching resources.
Sources: Kaplan & Kaplan, The Experience of Nature (1989); Bianchi, Pisiotis & Cabrera Giraldez, GreenComp (2022).
From research to practice
Listen to learners
Research with 40 adult learners and 10 educators will examine digital fatigue in rural Slovenia and urban or semi-urban Croatia.
Create useful resources
The educator’s manual, multimedia library, DIY field recording guide and web app will turn this work into practical resources.
Try, reflect and share
Workshops in Čakovec and Ormož will inform a validation report. Events, EPALE articles and newsletters will share the results with the wider adult education community.
Explore resultsRooted in two countries
Three organisations bring together sound production, adult education and inclusive learning in Croatia and Slovenia.
Udruga Kultivator
Croatia · Coordinator
A cultural organisation in Nedelišće working in audio-visual and multimedia production. Kultivator coordinates NATUREscapes and leads field recording, audio engineering and the multimedia library.
POU Čakovec
Croatia · Partner
Pučko otvoreno učilište Čakovec has provided adult education since 1965. It brings pedagogical and digital expertise to the web app and leads communication and dissemination.
Ljudska univerza Ormož
Slovenia · Partner
A public adult education institution serving lifelong learners since 1959. It leads the methodological framework, educator’s manual and piloting, with a focus on rural inclusion and learner well-being.
Find your
starting point
The same sounds can open different possibilities. Choose the perspective that fits you.
For educators
Bring short listening breaks into your sessions. The manual will offer practical exercises and guidance on attention restoration and sustainability values.
Explore the manualFor learners
Discover a gentler pause between screen-based tasks. The Nature Library and app will make it easy to explore sounds, build a soundscape and plan a focus break.
Explore the appFor organisations
Follow the research, learn from pilots in two countries and adapt the free resources to your own adult education setting.
Read about the project and its partners, and how the work fits together.